The mathematics sex difference favoring boys is more consistently found among higher-achieving nations, with considerable variability among lower-scoring countries¶
Claim · All claims
Evidence · 2 studies · 2 associationalr2·q3
Currency · newest study 2013 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person · overdue for a recheck since 2018: baselines and conditions change
Subclaims¶
Reading the evidence codes
q is the design tier, i the impact, n the sample, and the kind with its r
the rigour judged within that kind: what each code means.
This claim: no standardized effect is recorded in observations/ for it yet, so no benchmark reading is possible.
q3 i? Economically developed countries with strong gender-equality scores tended to have a larger sex difference in mathematics than less economically developed countries (5.4 vs 10.5 points for non-OECD vs OECD countries, t(73) = −2.5, p = .02). → Stoet G 2013
q3 i? Among lower-scoring countries there was considerable variation, with some showing a mathematics sex difference favoring boys and others favoring girls. → Stoet G 2013 (2)
Evidence¶
Stoet G 2013¶
Stoet G, Geary DC (2013) Sex Differences in Mathematics and Reading Achievement Are Inversely Related: Within- and Across-Nation Assessment of 10 Years of PISA Data. PLoS ONE 8(3): e57988. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0057988
q3 · i? · associational · r2
Comparison of averaged mathematics sex differences between OECD and non-OECD countries (Figure 4, Table 4). The printed contrast was 5.4 points for non-OECD versus 10.5 points for OECD countries, t(73) = −2.5, p = .02; only the t statistic is printed, so no effect size is coded.
"If anything, economically developed countries with strong gender-equality and human development scores tended to have a larger sex difference in mathematics than less economically developed countries (e.g., for non-OECD countries the sex difference in mathematics was 5.4 vs 10.5 points for OECD countries, t(73) = 22.5, p = .02, Figure 4)."
Stoet G 2013 (2)¶
Stoet G, Geary DC (2013) Sex Differences in Mathematics and Reading Achievement Are Inversely Related: Within- and Across-Nation Assessment of 10 Years of PISA Data. PLoS ONE 8(3): e57988. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0057988
q3 · i? · associational · r2
Figure 4 and Table 4 analysis of non-OECD countries, where mathematics sex differences ranged between −15.0 and 30.0 points, with boys higher in some countries (e.g., Costa Rica) and girls higher in others (e.g., Albania).
"Further, we found considerable variation among lower scoring countries, with some showing a large sex difference in mathematics achievement favoring boys and others favoring girls (Figure 4, Table 4)."
Discussion¶
Learner Variables¶
- Gender — predictor: outcomes differ by group: a gap reflecting circumstances and treatment, not a cause
Related Claims¶
- Sex differences in mathematics and reading are strongly and inversely correlated across nations in all four PISA assessments — related
- The mathematics sex difference is practically non-existent among low performers and largest among high performers, where boys outnumber girls up to 2.7:1 above the 99th percentile — related
- National gender-equality and human-development indicators show no consistent correlation with sex differences in mathematics or reading across the decade — reports the opposite
- Across nations, boys outperform girls in mathematics by a small average margin while girls outperform boys in reading by a margin three times larger — related
- Boys received more process praise and scored higher in 4th grade math than girls in this sample — related
- Girls scored lower than boys on fifth grade Numerical Operations, with the gap smaller in earlier grades, but no sex difference in fifth grade word reading — related
- The learning benefit of mathematics test practice is larger for boys than for girls — related
- No statistically significant sex differences in the direct associations among EF, task orientation, and mathematics or in the mediating effect of task orientation — related
- Sex differences in mathematics tend to be somewhat larger in more gender-equal countries (GGGI coefficient B = 0.921, p = .051), controlling for region — related
- Boys outperform girls on the final two-digit number test in this sample — a narrower finding that bears on this claim
- Boys outperform girls on algebra word problems, function mapping, equation memory, and arithmetic fluency, with no sex differences on other mathematics measures — related
Page metadata
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
type |
claim |
id |
math-sex-difference-larger-in-higher-achieving-nations |
title |
The mathematics sex difference favoring boys is more consistently found among higher-achieving nations, with considerable variability among lower-scoring countries |
description |
The mathematics sex difference favoring boys is more consistently found among higher-achieving nations, with considerable variability among lower-scoring countries |
status |
review |
evidence_strength |
moderate |
newest_evidence |
2013 |
recheck_by |
2018 |
generated |
by process:wiki-ingest on 2026-10-15 |
trust |
unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content |
sources |
2 — stoet-g-2013, stoet-g-2013-2 |
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